In general, it is said that hair is easy to be positively charged. When minus ions, which are minute water in the air coupled with negatively charged oxygen, contact the positively-charged hair, a styling of the hair can be easily performed, while moisture content of the hair being kept. Therefore, it is proposed to place a minus ion generator in a hair drier or a styling brush.
For example, a conventional hair drier with the minus ion generator is of a structure shown in FIG. 5. That is, an air-flow channel 2 is formed in a tubular housing 1 of this hair drier, so that air sucked from an air-suction inlet 22 provided at one end of the housing 1 is ejected from an air outlet 21 provided at the other end thereof. In the air-flow channel 2 of the housing 1, a fan 31, motor 32 for driving the fan, heater 33, and the minus ion generator 7 are disposed. In FIG. 5, the numeral 34 designates a grid member 34 attached to the air outlet 21 to prevent foreign matter from getting into the housing 1. The numeral 4 designates a nozzle attached to the air outlet, which has a tapered shape to eject the air flow from its top end opening 41. In addition, a grip 35 projects downwardly from the housing 1, in which electric cords A for supplying electricity to the motor 32 and a power switch 36 are incorporated.
To use the above-described hair drier, when the power switch 36 is turned on, electric power is supplied to the motor 32, heater 33, and the minus ion generator 7. The air is sucked into the housing 1 from the air-suction inlet 22 by the fan 31, and then sent to the downstream side of the air-flow channel. Subsequently, the air in the air-flow channel 2 is heated by the heater 33. The heated air is mixed with the minus ions generated by the minus ion generator 7. Thus, the air flow including the minus ions is ejected outside from the opening 41 of the nozzle 4 through the air outlet 21 with the grid member 34.
However, the hair drier described above has a problem that the ion generator 7 disposed in the air-flow channel 2 hampers a flow of air in the air-flow channel 2. In addition, since some of the minus ions generated by the ion generator 7 are caught by the grid member 34, electrical repulsion occurs between the minus ions caught by the grid member 34 and minus ions in the air flow successively supplied, so that it becomes difficult for the minus ions to pass the grid member 34. Consequently, there is another problem that the supply amount of the minus ions gradually decreases.